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Council votes to end broadcast to cable government channel as viewership falls
Summary
Gastonia City Council unanimously approved a resolution to stop sending a live feed to the county/city cable access channel after Dec. 31, 2025, citing low cable viewership and duplication with website and social streaming services; staff will post information and offer help to residents who need alternative ways to view meetings.
Gastonia City Council unanimously voted Oct. 21 to approve a resolution ending the city/county cable government access channel broadcast at the end of the calendar year, citing low cable penetration, significant equipment replacement costs and widespread use of online streaming alternatives.
Adam Gobb, Gaston County director of communications, told the council the access channel arrangement dated to a 1999 agreement when nearly 90% of U.S. households used cable. He said cable‑household penetration has declined — roughly a third of county households can currently receive the channel via Spectrum or AT&T U‑verse — and survey work done with property‑tax mailings found under 1% of respondents use the cable access channel as their primary source of local government information.
Gobb said the county would need roughly $40,000 to replace aging equipment that routes the live feed to cable providers, and that the feed is limited to standard definition under the franchise arrangement. The county and city now stream council and county meetings through Granicus on their websites and to platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, where staff can measure viewership. Gobb said streaming metrics show individual meetings typically draw 50 to 300 viewers depending on the subject.
Dandrea (city communications director) and Gobb said the proposed plan is to maintain identical recording and live production inside the council chamber and to stop sending the redundant feed to the cable providers after Dec. 31, 2025. The live stream and on‑demand archives will remain available through Granicus and the county and city YouTube pages. Staff said they will run instructional programming on the cable channel and provide contact information for residents who need help switching to web or platform viewing.
Councilmembers asked questions about viewership metrics and an education plan for residents who rely on cable. Gobb described the two surveys (2024 and 2025) and said staff would provide more detailed viewership and streaming‑analytics reports if the council wanted them. A councilmember asked for a specific plan to inform and assist residents after the closure; staff said programming and contact information would be posted on the channel once both governing bodies approve the resolution.
The council moved the resolution forward and voted to approve it unanimously. Staff said the county’s governing board would consider the same resolution in their next meeting.
Ending: The change is scheduled to take effect Dec. 31, 2025; meetings will continue to be recorded live and made available on the city and county websites and on social platforms, and staff will post instructions and provide assistance for residents who need help accessing online streams.
